Best Buy, Kmart, More Stores Open on Thanksgiving, Employees Forced to Work?

Best Buy has joined Kmart, Macy’s, Kohl’s, JCPenney and Toys R Us, which are all going to be open on Thanksgiving Day.

Catering to the bargain-hungry, and sometimes violent, shoppers on Black Friday, Best Buy will open at 6 p.m. on November 28 and stay open until 10 p.m. the next day, notes the Associated Press.

"Last year customers clearly showed that they wanted to be out shopping much earlier on Thanksgiving," a Best Buy spokeswoman said in a statement. "Our plan this holiday is a direct result of that feedback and provides multiple opportunities for our customers to shop in-store and online, whether at 6 p.m., midnight or on Black Friday."

According to CNN, Kmart is going to open on Thanksgiving Day at 6 a.m. to accommodate Americans dying to get a deal.

All of these stores claim they are not going to force any employees to work on Thanksgiving, but unidentified Kmart workers have sent pictures of signs to The Huffington Post warning them not to ask off for any holiday time.

Kmart spokespeople claimed the signs were "rogue" and not company policy. Kmart claims only staff who choose to work, temporary employees or seasonal workers will clock in.

However, working retail people into the ground seems to be part of the American economy these days.

According to USNews.com, the Center on Economic and Policy Research found that "the United States is the only advanced economy that does not guarantee its workers any paid vacation time and is one of only a few rich countries that does not require employers to offer at least some paid holidays" and "almost one in four Americans has no paid vacation [23 percent] and no paid holidays [23 percent]."

The U.S. is also the only developed country that does not guarantee sick leave, although some cities such as New York, Seattle, Washington D.C. and San Francisco have passed local sick leave laws. People in Republican states will likely never see such a law because of GOP opposition, reported USNews.com.